Mount St. Helens Volcano - Current Update
CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
Friday, August 1, 2008 16:11 PDT (Friday, August 1, 2008 23:11 UTC)
MOUNT ST. HELENS VOLCANO (CAVW#1201-05-)
46.20°N 122.18°W, Summit Elevation 8363 ft (2549 m)
Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Aviation Color Code: GREEN
The 40-month-long lava-dome eruption of Mount St. Helens that began in autumn 2004 ended in late January of this year. Earthquakes, volcanic gas emissions, and ground deformation are all at pre-eruptive background levels. The alert level and aviation color code were reduced to NORMAL/GREEN on July 10, 2008, following five months with no sign of renewed activity.
Even with the end of lava dome growth, some hazards persist. The new lava dome remains hot in places and capable of producing small hot avalanches or minor explosions that could dust areas with ash up to tens of miles downwind. Rock fall from the crater walls can produce clouds of dust that rise above the crater rim, especially during dry, windy days, as has happened in the past. Also, heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt can send small debris flows onto the Pumice Plain north of the crater.
Recent observations:
This week field crews made repairs to monitoring equipment, deployed photo targets for geodetic control points, continued tracking northward advance of Crater Glacier, and mapped geology on the volcano's flank. Scientists from the Cascades Volcano Observatory continue to monitor the volcano remotely. The past week's seismic record is dominated by rockfalls in the crater and glacier quakes caused by motion of the ice.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue additional updates and changes in alert level as warranted
Source: Cascade Range Current Update
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam
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This is a static image of Mount St. Helens, taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory.
The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet,
about five miles from the volcano.
You are looking approximately south-southeast across the North Fork Toutle River Valley.
The VolcanoCam image automatically updates approximately every five minutes. |
Information courtesy of ...
U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington
University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network, Seattle, Washington
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Cascade Range Current Update
USGS Alert-Notification System for Volcanic Activity
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